The Authoritarian Turn in Christian Nationalism, and How it Threatens Democracy

Please join us in person for an exciting talk by Dr. Bradley Onishi on the dangers of white Christian nationalism and how we can successfully fight its negative impacts. This presentation is co-sponsored by the Atheist Community of San Jose and the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, and will be held at 11:00 am on Sunday November 5 at the Humanist venue in the Mountain View Senior Center. Come join us for the talk and discussion and luncheon with our speaker. This is a hybrid event and can also be accessed on Zoom. Please sign up with the Humanist Community on Meetup if you plan to attend on Zoom.

Please sign up soon for this event if you expect to attend in person, and tell us if you are going to stay for luncheon, which costs $10 per person. We hope you will join your secular friends and colleagues for this gathering!
Dr. Bradley Onishi will give his presentation on the dangers of Christian nationalism, and what we can do about it. In this talk, Dr. Onishi will use his experience as a former Christian nationalist in order to discuss two major ways that concerned humanists, atheists, and anyone who cherishes democracy can fight back against this threat to our public square. From school boards to local elections and interpersonal relationships, there are ways that we can battle the authoritarianism of Christian nationalism. There is hope. And that hope is born from collective action, strategic planning, and an understanding of our current situation. But, as Onishi argues, it requires vigilance and collective participation. Brad will lead a brainstorming discussion on what we here in Silicon Valley can do to counter the scourge of white Christian Nationalism.
Dr. Brad Onishi is an adjunct faculty member in the Philosophy Department at the University of San Francisco. He co-hosts the “Straight White American Jesus” podcast, and has written four books, including his newest book “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--And What Comes Next.” A former Christian nationalist himself, he now speaks widely about the threats of Christian nationalism to democracy from the perspective of both a former insider and a scholar of religion.
Brad Onishi was raised an evangelical Christian and was an evangelical youth minister. In 2005, he got a Masters Degree in religion from an evangelical Christian university in southern California, and that same year left evangelical Christianity, becoming an “exvangelical.” He was immediately rejected by former friends and by family members. Then in 2007 he got a Masters of Philosophy degree in theology from Oxford University in England. After some years, he got another certificate in religion from a Catholic institute in Paris, then a Ph.D. in religious studies from U.C. Santa Barbara in 2014.